Forest pedagogues
Forest pedagogues can be experts with forestry education or experience in forestry who have successfully completed a course in forest pedagogy.
Forest Pedagogy Courses
Forest pedagogy courses are currently organized by the Association of Forest Pedagogues of the Czech Republic and the Secondary Forestry School in Hranice, usually once a year. There are two types of courses (each of them 40 hours long):
- basic – where foresters learn the basics of pedagogy, psychology, and didactics and prepare to work with the public in the forest, especially with school groups (kindergarten, elementary school, high school)
- advanced – intended for graduates of the basic course and expanding the target groups to include adults, groups with specific educational needs, and seniors
Forestry education is required to participate in the courses.
Students at the Faculty of Forestry and Wood Sciences at the Czech University of Life Sciences in Prague also have the opportunity to obtain a certificate in forest pedagogy after successfully completing the course Forest Education and Forest Pedagogy. This certificate corresponds to the certificate from the basic course in Hranice.
Forest pedagogy courses in the Czech Republic are accredited by the Ministry of Agriculture and compatible with courses in other European countries. They are based on the outputs of the European PAWS project – Pedagogical Activities in the Forest – a seminar concept for foresters.
Regular Seminars for Forest Pedagogues
After completing the forest pedagogy course, forest pedagogues can gain inspiration for new activities and share their experiences at seminars for forest pedagogues, which are usually held twice a year.
